Code Geass: GATE
by DearYouFromMe
Summary: The rule of Charles zi Britannia has brought to world to chaos; conquest followed by death. Lelouch vi Britannia struggles with his own helplessness, but finds the drive and the power to fight. Humanity calls for a saviour. Who will answer?
1. Chapter 1

**Code Geass: GATE**

 **By DearYouFromMe**

 **Summary:** The rule of Charles zi Britannia has brought to world to chaos; conquest followed by death. Lelouch vi Britannia struggles with his own helplessness, but finds the drive and the power to fight. Humanity calls for a saviour. Who will answer?

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Lelouch Lamperouge had a good morning. He had woken up to have breakfast with his dearest little sister, Nunnally, and was scheduled to have a chess match with a noble this afternoon. School had passed by fine enough, while it was boring, he was quite used to it. Rivalz had picked him up and driven him to the match, and less than 10 minutes later they had left much richer than they had arrived.

Then things went to shit.

After a narrow brush with death on the highway, Lelouch had made his way to help the people inside the crashed truck. It was frustrating, really, as nobody else had bothered to help at all. Not too long after, he had learned that the near crash on the highway was nothing compared to being (unknowingly) dragged along by terrorists. It got slightly better when he realized his childhood friend, Suzaku, was still alive, only for him to be taken away by that damned Royal Guard. He did say that things went to shit, right?

But it was all for nothing. Clovis's men had killed Suzaku, and brought chaos and violence to the ghetto over a _girl_. Yet Lelouch knew that there was something special about this mysterious, green haired woman, but he could not place a finger on it just yet. She was attractive, yes, with molten amber eyes that seemed to pierce his soul, unusual yet alluring green hair that flowed to her waist, and a figure that Lelouch's hormones could not quite comprehend just yet. Yet despite all of this, Lelouch knew that Clovis la Britannia would not send a whole military detachment over just one person…there must be something else going on with her.

So here Lelouch was, dragging the girl with him under the abandoned tunnels of the Shinjuku ghetto. Pausing to regain his breath, he growled at her, "Who are you?! Why were you in the capsule?"

She looked up at him with apathetic eyes, containing neither excitement nor fear. "My name is C.C." she said, choosing to avoid the second question.

He merely grunted in return, knowing that she probably wouldn't share anything else for the time being. "Let's just focus on getting out of here alive for now," he said. "I think there should be a tunnel nearby which leads to the surface." The girl, C.C., did not comment, and only stared at him again with those piercing eyes. Lelouch merely took this as a sign of acknowledgement, and tugged her wrist gently as a sign to follow him.

The pair made their way across the abandoned subway tracks, eventually reaching what could have been a subway station. They slowly climbed up the stairs, but before they could reach the top, the sounds of battle were replaced by the screams and wails of human beings. Looking up closely at the roof of the structure, Lelouch could see that the residents of the ghetto had constructed a warehouse overtop the subway entrance. _Clever, but not clever enough_.

"Please, spare us!" Lelouch heard from above, the sounds of a lone woman and a crying baby ringing across the warehouse. Desperation tinged her voice. "We don't know anything about the terrorists! I swe-!" A gunshot interrupted her, and she fell silent. The baby only wailed louder.

"Stupid Elevens," grunted a new voice from above. Unfortunately, it was one that Lelouch recognized all too well. _The Royal Guard. Shit!_

The man continued, sounding almost amused despite the loss of life surrounding him. "If they know nothing about the terrorists, they must be even more useless than I thought." The rest of the guards laughed with him, and soon enough, a second gunshot joined the first. The warehouse was silent.

That was, until Lelouch's phone rang. Quickly, he scrambled to reject the call, but it was already too late. Before he even knew it, the Royal Guard rushed over to the staircase and dragged him and C.C. to the main floor of the warehouse before training their guns on them. Lelouch almost stumbled at their rough handling, coming very close to landing in the many pools of blood that were scattered all over the floor. That was even before he spotted the bodies, and bile began to rise in his throat.

"Any last words, schoolboy?" the apparent leader of the Guard sneered at him.

"Go to hell!" Lelouch spat back.

The guard chuckled at him in amusement, before leveling his gun very carefully at the centre of Lelouch's forehead. "You first."

Lelouch could only blink before the man pointed his pistol at his head and began to press the trigger.

"He must not die!"

A gunshot rang out, but Lelouch did not feel any pain. Confused, he opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of C.C. crumpled down on the floor with a hole in the centre of her forehead. "N-no…"

"Hmph," The Guard leader chuckled dryly. "We were supposed to take her back alive, but this is all right. I'll just tell His Highness that the subject was captured and tortured by terrorists before finally succumbing to their savageness."

"You monster!" Lelouch cried. _First Suzaku and now her? When was the bloodshed ever going to end?_

The man only shrugged. "I guess I am." He took aim once again.

Lelouch's eyes widened. Was this it? His final moments in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by bodies and no one but C.C. to see his passing? He didn't want it to end like this, not yet. He hadn't even started what he wanted to do, what he told Suzaku in the tunnel not too long ago. But even that paled in comparison to one thought. _Nunnally! I need to stay alive for Nunnally! I must protect her!_ His eyes squeezed shut.

All of a sudden, something took his hand.

* * *

" **You don't want it to end here, do you?"**

"W-what?" Lelouch cried out in confusion. He was in a white space, all white for as far as his eyes could see. He was alone, all alone in a space of _nothingness_. The confused teenager searched for the source of the voice, but it was like it came from everywhere.

" **You appear to have a reason for living."**

He spun around once again but he could not find anyone. Wait…he recognized that voice. "C.C.?! That's impossible!" She was dead, he was sure of it! He saw the blood leaking from the wound in her forehead firsthand, nobody could have survived that.

" **If I gave you power, would you carry on? Would you fight?"**

Lelouch already knew the answer. Of course he would! He would take up arms, fight against the cruel man known as the Emperor, he would avenge his mother, and care for his sister. Of course he would.

The space began to change and slowly morphed in to something new. Blue strands flowed endlessly and sparked together like nerves. Glowing, circuit-like lines traversed through this new land, but Lelouch saw something new. Jupiter…and something else. Something that he could not yet comprehend.

" **I propose a deal. In exchange for this power you must agree to make my one wish come true."**

Jupiter.

" **Accept this contract and you accept its conditions: while living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other."**

Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter.

" **A different providence, a different time, a different life.**

 **The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude."**

Jupiter. Gate. Code. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Code. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Code. Code. Jupiter. Jupiter. Gate. Jupiter. Gate. Gate. Gate. Jupiter. Jupiter. Code. Jupiter. Jupiter. Code. Gate. Code. Jupiter. Jupiter. Gate. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Jupiter. Geass. Jupiter.

" **Are you prepared for this?"**

Yes.

"Yes! I accept this contract!" Lelouch vi Britannia yelled as he threw his arm to the side.

* * *

His head…hurt. Hurt didn't even begin to describe it. It throbbed in agony, like a thousand needles had found their way to his scalp and pierced it at the same time. He was in _pain_. "Ugh…"

"…-ook, he's coming to!" he heard laughter. "The brave schoolboy is back!"

"Urgh…" Lelouch moaned in pain as he slowly dragged himself off the floor. _How did I get here?_ He began to stand slowly, only to be greeted with the sight of the guards once again, howling at some joke that he must not have heard. His head wasn't hurting as much anymore, but his left eye throbbed for no apparent reason. He covered it out of reflex.

"Looks like you learned how to stand up again!" laughed the main guard. "You just collapsed out of nowhere screaming in pain!" They all chuckled with him.

But Lelouch no longer felt intimidated. He no longer felt powerless. Instead, he was confident, almost arrogant. "Say, how should a Britannian who hates his country live his life?"

The guards paused for a second, before resuming their laughter once again. "So you're going to get philosophical on us, schoolboy? Are you some kind of radical?" The lead guard mocked him.

Lelouch only smiled back. It was a dangerous smile, one that promised destruction and pain. The guards, seeing this expression, were wise enough to quiet down and back up ever so slowly. They sensed a dangerous aura around the boy. "What's wrong?" Lelouch returned their mocking. "Aren't you going to shoot? I'm just a harmless schoolboy." He took one step forward. And another. "Or have you realized that the people who kill for the sake of killing…"

"Are the ones who deserve to die."

Lelouch leapt forward, his left eye flaring with power.

Black metal sprang forth out of nowhere and began to form its way onto Lelouch's arms and legs. They meshed together, tightening and hardening, before forming dark ebony pieces of armor that protected his limbs and chest. Meanwhile, a dark and deep violet fabric wrapped its way around his torso, but Lelouch could tell that its protective properties were unmatched. A darker, yet similar fabric began unraveling from the back of the suit, taking shape of a malignant and foreboding cape. Lastly, the same metals from before pooled around his head and took the shape of a mask, before a purple piece of glass-like material formed an oval at the front. All of this took place in the span of a second.

Confused and now afraid, the Royal Guard panicked and attempted to flee. However, they barely got the chance to scream as Lelouch's cape formed whips that flung themselves at the poor men, impaling all of them but the leader. He tried to scream, but before he even got the chance, one of the whips wrapped around his head and mouth.

"Mmph!" he muffled in fear. The bodies of his comrades hit the ground ungraciously behind him.

A dark chuckle came from what was once Lelouch Lamperouge. "That's right. How does it feel to be powerless?"

The man only struggled harder.

"There's no use trying to get to you, is there?" the teen asked rhetorically. "Goodbye now." With a bit of willpower directed to the suit, the whip tightened its grip until the man stopped moving completely. Lelouch dropped the man to the ground without care.

He looked around him, at the death and carnage that he had partially caused. Lelouch stared at the dead bodies of the Guard, the once powerful men who had submit their lives to him. Now he was no longer powerless! Now he would never have to run in fear!

"I can do anything with this incredible power…and it's all mine! Well then…" Lelouch vi Britannia's smirk promised only pain.

* * *

 _Classified Information: Top Secret_

 _[REDACTED] File #2_

 _Through the use of imagery technology, we have determined that Subject [REDACTED]'s brain development is quite different from a normal human's. Our research suggests that a newfound brain lobe is present between the frontal and parietal lobes of Subject [REDACTED], at what can be thought of as the central (in terms of area) portion of the brain. Our researches have dubbed this lobe as GATE, for a variety of reasons._

 _We believe that GATE enables a human being to be in possession of characteristics far beyond a normal humans. For example, Subject [REDACTED] is in possession of [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and [REDACTED], to name a few. Our theory is further developed when no other human on record is in possession of a GATE lobe. However, further information is required, and will be detailed in further files._

 _Best regards,_

 _[REDACTED]._

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new project! I've been waiting to get this one out for a long while now, and here it is. I hope you guys enjoy it, because I know that I certainly am. However, this is still a learning experience for me, so I hope you guys bear with me for a bit, as I know it may be a bit rough at first. Please, if you have any questions, be sure to PM me and I'll do my best to respond in a timely manner. This is basically going to be CG with some kickass powers, so look forward to it!

Next, I'll be writing some more requests for The Human Element, so look forward to that if that's your type of thing. I think I'll be alternating between this project and THE, just to let you guys know. And oh, lastly, the title on this is a working title, so it may change in the future!

Hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys soon.

-DYFM


	2. Chapter 2

**Code Geass: GATE**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Lelouch's laughter rang darkly throughout the abandoned warehouse, echoing and twisting its pitch. It was cut off abruptly when his head flared with pain and he crouched low to the ground and held his head. While not as bad as before, when he had passed out, the pain was still comparable. It carried on for a couple seconds longer, before Lelouch finally regained control and began to deep deeply in an effort to reduce the agony. It worked, and just as suddenly as it appeared, the pain vanished and Lelouch was left lying on the floor and heaving for breath.

"Fuck…" he growled. The teen looked down at his hands and realized that the dark armour was no longer present. Judging by his lack of concentration earlier, the teen guessed that it disappeared during the pain and that he had simply not noticed it. _That power…_ he thought, _Where did that all come from?_ A simple look behind him at that green haired woman answered his question. _But why? Because I had a will to live?_

Slowly, Lelouch drew himself off the floor and walked gingerly towards the mysterious woman known as C.C.. She was slumped on the ground right next to where he could have died along with her, and a sizeable pool of blood had formed around her head. The young man began to turn her over, as a final way of showing his respect to the woman who had saved her life, but as he touched her neck to turn her over slowly, he grew shocked. The girl's skin, which should have been growing cold in death and blood loss, was much warmer than he had expected. With further observation, Lelouch could almost _feel_ blood pumping beneath her skin and through her arteries.

"What in the world..?" he murmured out loud to himself. It shouldn't have been possible! He had seen her die in front of him, he had even seen the hole in her forehead. It was impossible for someone to survive a wound like that, and Lelouch knew it. _But she's somehow still alive…_ Beneath his gaze, her slender finger twitched slightly, but they went unnoticed.

His musings were interrupted went a large crash was heard. Lelouch turned around suddenly only to find that a lone Sutherland Knightmare had broken its way in to the building and was now observing him like a hawk, its Factspheres opened and gun ready to be fired. Luckily for him, the pilot had taken a moment to observe their surroundings and see what had caused all the damage and death.

Lelouch took this moment to once again draw upon the power that he had been granted, but instead felt something akin to soreness, like a muscle that had been used for far too long and now held no energy. Not that he actually knew what it felt like, he just assumed it was something similar. "Tch!" he exclaimed in annoyance, but realized his mistake as the looming machine drew its attention on him. He reigned in his anger as quickly as he could, but inside his frustrations and confusion on grew. _Why isn't it working now, out of all times?_

"What is a Britannian schoolboy doing here?" the pilot's voice rang out from the speakers, distinctively female. While it did not train its gun upon him, Lelouch could tell that the pilot was alert and attentive.

Knowing this, he raised up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father is a duke," he said, in his most arrogant and "noble" voice.

"Oh?" the pilot responded, obviously intrigued at this new development. "And just what is the son of a duke doing in a place like this?" Her voice was tinged with suspicion, but Lelouch was already multiple steps ahead of her.

"My girlfriend and I had decided to explore the settlement today, but a couple of those Elevens decided that we were an easy target. We ran from the savages but managed to get lost here, where we found this room in the state it is right now…" he trailed off, looking mournful. "I would like to request your protection. I have my ID in my pocket."

Tense seconds trickled by until the pilot responded back. "Stay where you are. I'll come out and get your ID, but if you try anything funny, I will shoot you." The cockpit of the machine opened with a hiss, and the pilot descended soon after.

She tall and intimidating, with bright silver-grey hair that was tied up in a long pony tail. She was tanned with sun-kissed skin, and covered in one of those ridiculous female pilot suits that showed off a lot of skin. Personally, Lelouch found it a bit sexist that only the womens' suits were like that. He also thought that she would have been a lot more attractive if she didn't have a gun pointed at his face.

The pilot stood a couple steps towards from him, ever cautious. "Your ID?"

Lelouch kept his hands in the air. "In my breast pocket."

She nodded curtly, before stepping towards and swiftly searching his uniform jacket for what she was looking for. Her hands traced his way to his chest, and she plucked the passport from his pocket. The same fake passport that Lelouch brought along with those chess matches with Rivalz, just in case.

She took a couple seconds to look through it quite thoroughly, but Lelouch had to repress a smirk. The passport was masterfully forged. He had spent hours working away to create an ID that almost perfectly matched government official standards. Only someone with years of experience searching through and creating IDs would be able to tell the difference. A simple soldier would be fooled.

"Everything…seems to be in order," she said hesitantly before meeting his eyes once again. Lelouch finally dropped his aching arms. "I take it that you would like to request my protection, milord?"

"That would be excellent!" Lelouch exclaimed, before stepping forward. "I could tell that you are an excellent and dependable soldier."

She shifted slightly and looked to the side, clearly unused to such praise from her "superiors". "I'm simply following orders, milord."

"Just like any soldier should! And who's are you following at the moment?" he asked, pressing for more information.

"Prince Clovis', milord," she responded. "Our objective is confidential, but His Highness himself is leading the battle."

Lelouch looked at her in feigned surprise. "From His Highness himself? You must be even more wonderful of a soldier than I thought! How lucky am I, to be saved by someone directly under His Highness Prince Clovis."

This time, she blushed quite obviously, and Lelouch had to suppress his winning smirk. "It's not like that, milord, just-"

He cut her off quickly. "I should be honoured. And please, do away with such titles and simply call me Alan. Now, might I get the lovely lady's name?"

She swallowed. "Villeta Nu, mil- Mister Alan."

He smiled at her. "A wonderful name for a wonderful woman." Lelouch paused, as if to take a look at the bloody scenery around them. "Now, I would like to ask if you could give me and this woman over here a ride to the perimeter of the battle. Now I understand that it may go against your orders, but it will only be quick trip, I promise you. From the perimeter, I can simply call my father and he will send a car for us."

"Are you sure, Mister Alan? It may be dangerous…"

"I trust that an excellent soldier such as yourself has already cleared out the area!"

This time, she smiled positively at his praise. "Naturally, Mister Alan." He laughed along, like there was not a care in the world despite the dead bodies surrounding him. He picked up C.C., assuring Viletta that she was safe and only scraped her forehead in a scuffle before the soldier had came. The wound was already scabbing.

After lifting C.C. in to the arms of the giant Knightmare, Lelouch made his way to ride in the cockpit with Viletta. A standard Knightmare is along fitted to transport the pilot, but Lelouch's background along with his previous performance had already convinced the soldier to let him ride along with her. Not without a healthy blush, of course.

Viletta exited the warehouse in the same way that she came in, careful to shield C.C.'s body with both of the mechine's hands. With only a simple check of their surroundings, Viletta made her way towards the edge of the ghetto.

"You're quite the pilot, Miss Viletta," Lelouch complimented her. She did not respond, too occupied on getting her charges to safety, but smiled in response.

Soon, the three of them had reached the edge of the Shinjuku ghetto. Viletta gently lowered C.C. to the ground, and opened the cockpit for Lelouch to exit, yet he did not move. Viletta turned to him, concerned, only to find him staring at her intently.

"Is there something wrong, Mister Alan?"

He looked tense and worried. "I'm afraid there is, Miss Viletta. I simply cannot have anyone knowing of my presence her today."

"B-but, Mister Alan…this is something that I should be writing in my report!" He noticed her hand almost twitching towards her gun, and Lelouch knew that he was in dangerous territory.

Lelouch sighed a deep, disappointed sigh, and despite herself, Viletta felt an ounce of guilt. "I am aware of that, yes. However, it is of the greatest importance." His frown turned to an easy smile as he said to her, "Yet I cannot blame you for being a good soldier. I propose a deal, just between the two of us. I'll ask you to not reveal anything of my presence here today, and come to this address when you are free, and myself and my father shall reward you greatly." He handed her a slip of paper folded in half.

"I-I don't know what to say, Mister Alan…" she stammered. "Would this be all right?"

"Of course!" he responded easily, "I didn't have anything to do with the battle, right? And it is simply natural to reward the person who just saved me from a terrible fate."

"I-indeed," she accepted. "Thank you for your kindness, Mister Alan."

"Thank you for your timely actions, Miss Viletta. I'll see you at the address soon." With that, he exited the cockpit.

Viletta Nu sat back at the controls for a second and watched him leave through her outside cameras, the whole time wondering if she had made the correct decision. She was satisfied with what happened, of course, who wouldn't be? Viletta stood there for a bit longer before returning to the battlefield.

* * *

Lelouch stood and watched her go. The soldier, Miss Viletta, would be an excellent asset to have in the future, and he was glad that he took that unexpected opportunity. The boy looked at the bleak scene of carnage that was once the Shinjuku ghetto before turning towards the form of the green-haired woman. "You don't have to play dead forever, you know?"

There was a pause. "And what if I like the feeling of the cold, hard ground?" came a muffled reply. If she was surprised at his deduction, she did not show it.

Lelouch laughed before squatting down next to her. "I doubt that piles of rubble will be comfortable for too long." He reached his hand out to her. "Let me help you up."

Golden eyes peeked out of the gaps of lime-green hair. They were cautious and cold, but for a split second, Lelouch thought her could see the tiniest hint of vulnerability. _But why?_ The moment passed, and she eventually placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her stand. "And what now, master strategist?" C.C. asked him.

"I think that we both know that I'm not a master strategist, because if I was, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. However, I do have a plan. We just need to get to an ideal place to observe the battlefield."

She looked at him questioningly, and Lelouch merely held up a simple radio communicator, the same one he had taken on the terrorists' truck.

* * *

Kallen Kouzuki was also having a pretty shitty day.

However, it had started off pretty great. The plan that her late brother had concocted went off without a hitch, and herself and Nagata had managed to steal the hidden Code-R capsule and make their way through the streets of the Tokyo Settlement. It went to shit when Tamaki (unsurprisingly) failed to do his job of distracting the military forces that were sent to take them back. Now the Kouzuki Resistance brought their troubles upon the Shinjuku Ghetto and were inadvertently causing death. Now she had to listen to a mysterious voice who bossed her around, despite knowing that he was the reason why she was alive right now.

"Q-1, do you have a map of the surrounding area?"

"Yes!" she snapped at him. They might have been winning because of what their resistance group had dubbed "The Mysterious Voice", but Kallen was never known to be very trustworthy. "It's an old one, though."

The voice didn't seemed fazed at all. "That should be fine. Head underground to the coordinates I am sending you right now. It's time to win." His voice sounded so confident and sure of himself, and Kallen could tell that a victorious smile was on his face right now.

Kallen Kouzuki couldn't help but smile too. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Suzaku Kururugi was having a pretty good day, all things considered.

First, he learned that his childhood friend, exiled prince Lelouch vi Britannia, was alive and well despite being caught up in a terrorist incident. Suzaku might have been shot shortly afterwards, but being (almost) revived from the dead more than made up for it. Now, he was even getting his own chance to pilot an experimental Knightmare! Now he finally had a chance to fight those damned terrorists!

"Did you read the manual?" the ever-soft voice of Cecile Croomy asked him through the video screen within the Knightmare cockpit, her eyes peering over her oval shaped glasses. He nodded. "You did very well, Suzaku. You even placed top of the class in the simulator!"

He smiled at her. Despite what his fellow Japanese might say about Britannians, Ms. Cecile was just so nice, and she never spoke to him with distaste like his previous superiors. "Ms. Cecile?" he asked cautiously, "About the two I asked about..?"

"Oh, those two? I checked through the current battle records, but nobody you knew was on the list."

 _So they're still alive then…what a relief._ "Ah, I see. Thank you for your help!"

"Let's begin the initial start-up phase then, shall we?" His new boss, Lloyd, spoke.

Suzaku nodded. There were still people who needed help out there, and so he needed to get out there as soon as possible. Lights began flashing on the screen in front of him, and he gripped the control yokes a bit harder.

… _Equipping Energy Filler…_

… _Initiating Devicer Setup…_

… _Yggdrasil Resonance confirmed…_

… _All readings, normal…_

"Lancelot, launch!"

With a mighty screech, the white and gold Knightmare Frame burst out of the launching dock, far faster than Suzaku had ever expected. It landed on the concrete ground with a thud, but he barely felt a bump as he angled the machine towards the coordinates he had been given.

"Full throttle right out the bat!" Lloyd exclaimed, overjoyed.

Suzaku concentrated hard, and he wove in between debris with precision and speed. It was like he was gliding, skating, even! He yanked his controls forward and pushed the machine, eager to reach his destination but was momentarily left reeling. The pain of being shot and practically being brought back to life was taking his toll on him.

"Be careful, Suzaku!" called the voice of Celice through the intercoms.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

He was more than capable, he knew, and it was proven when he located one of the terrorist Sutherlands and beheaded it with his slash harkens. He was grateful that the pilot ejected, as Suzaku never wanted to kill his own people. The young teen navigated the landscape, disabling any enemy KMF he came across.

* * *

"You mean only one machine is doing all this destruction?" Lelouch seethed in to the communicator. Himself and C.C. were hiding in a downed Sutherland's cockpit and staring at the Britannian Forces' positions. A muffled affirmative came through. _Fuck_.

"What are you going to do now, Lelouch? Will you use your power to save the day?" C.C. asked him.

He looked up at her curiously, before slowly responding. "I wish I could. However, that last encounter's drawbacks are still taking their toll on my mind and on my body."

She stared at him, with eyes hinting at an emotion that he could not quite place. C.C. stayed like that for a few seconds longer, "Tell Q-1 to draw him in near our location."

"Are you mad?!"

"Trust me."

He glared at her for a few precious seconds before sighing and reaching for the communicator. "If I must."

Soon enough, Kallen's red Glasgow came within their range on his map, and trailing behind her, the unknown and dangerous Knightmare. Dangerous, indeed, it had already taken out a significant portion of the terrorists' forces and apparently was in possession of "energy shields" that could block bullets. Lelouch was dubious, which was to be expected, but had already learned not to underestimate this enemy.

"Now what?"

"You fight," she said simply.

His annoyance grew once again. "How am I supposed to fi-umph?!" Lelouch was interrupted by a kiss. Her lips, soft and light, had pressed against his and in his shock, her fingers found their way through his dark hair. C.C. pressed harder against him, and for a single second, he began to enjoy it. Then she pulled away.

He sat in shock for a few moments, still lingering on that one second that felt like eternity. However, when he found his breath, he questioned her, "And just what was that for?"

She smirked at him, smugness and satisfaction. "So that you could fight." Without warning, and with sudden speed, she opened the cockpit and pushed him out. With him gone, she licked her lips slightly. _Not bad_.

Lelouch fell very inelegantly to the ground. "…Damn witch." He stood up slowly and watched as the white and gold Knightmare approached in the distance. Dark ebony metal began to make its familiar trail on his body once again, until he was covered in an outfit suited for death. "But she does have her uses."

A burst of black shot out between Kallen's Glasgow and the Knightmare behind her, leaving both pilots to wonder – _just what the hell was that_? Kallen was soon very glad for the interference, as the black blur solidified itself to a humanoid figure, one that began attacking the dangerous machine behind her. She doubted it would even dent their attacker, but as she turned around, Kallen found out that she was very wrong.

Her newfound ally had summoned dark whips that were furiously launching themselves at the seventh generation Knightmare, which was lucky that it had shields to block the onslaught of attacks. Slowly but surely, their enemy began retreating. Slash harkens were launched, but were easily deflected by the masked man. Soon enough, one of the whips made it past the pilot's guard and severed its left leg below the knee. Imbalanced, the Knightmare fell, and its attacker made short work of the rest of its limbs.

Lying on the ground and defenceless, Suzaku feared for his life. He had power, the Seventh Generational Knightmare should have been easily able to take care of this threat! Yet he had lost, and now he would pay the price. _At least I saved someone,_ he thought. The panicked voices of Cecile and Lloyd came through the speakers, but there was nothing they could do. A loud metallic screeching interrupted his thoughts.

There, his enemy stood, clad in black and violet. He stared at him, eyes wide open in fear, and Suzaku wondered if this was going to be the last thing he ever saw. Even still, he would stare death in the eyes, and not look away. To his surprise, his enemy merely grunted and moved away. As Suzaku realized that he had been spared, he was also surprised to find out that he was crying.

* * *

Kallen stared down at her masked saviour. He was walking towards her and her Glasgow, ever so slowly, and after that brutal display of strength, Kallen had to fight down the urge to run. He stopped in front of her, but Kallen did not relax.

"Q-1," his voice intoned through her speakers. "Thank you for the work that you and your group have done today. You have saved many Japanese lives." Kallen said nothing, and he continued. "Now, I may ask that you take these parts laying around her and bring them somewhere secure. I will contact you and your group at a later date. Now, I must complete my objective." He turned in the direction of the Command G1 Unit, where Prince Clovis directed the battle.

"W-wait!" she called. "Thank you for your help…but there also must be something we can call you."

He stared up at her, the black mask with the violet circle staring in to her soul. "You may call me Zero." With that, he was gone.

As Kallen Kouzuki moved to pick up the severed and battered Knightmare parts, he knew that Clovis la Britannia was as good as dead.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello once again everyone! I'm really glad I got this done, it's my longest piece of writing so far on this website, and my longest piece for a personal project, so I can say it was challenging to get this done. Especially for myself, I like to let things flow naturally in my own writing and write at my own pace, so I apologize that this came much later than expected.

Now, about the story. Lots of things going on here in this chapter, with the introduction of Viletta, Suzaku, Cecile, Lloyd, and Kallen. As you can tell, they'll be here to stay and make some appearances very shortly. I know that I've skipped over a couple parts, but you can assume that they remain true to the original (Lelouch delivers the Knightmares, Suzaku fights the terrorists, etc). I'm not great with action scenes, so this was a bit more practice for myself. I hope it was satisfactory for everyone.

On to my personal stuff, summer break is here, and while I haven't done a lot yet, I have been working. That takes up a lot of my day and sometimes I do feel too tired to write after, another reason that this has taken so long. I'm also going to be buying the new Fire Emblem soon and a Nintendo Switch, so I'm looking forward to both of those purchases for sure.

Now, I know I promised more of The Human Element, but I just wanted to get this chapter out first! The next one will be THE, I promise. I'll see you all again very shortly, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!

-DYFM


	3. Chapter 3

**Code Geass: GATE**

 **Chapter 3**

"Lelouch, wake up! I know you were sleeping, your hand stopped moving!"

The boy in question blinked awake the sleep from his eyes and turned to face the blonde she-demon known as Millicent Ashford. "Ah, I must have. I apologize, Madame President."

She looked at him with slight concern in her eyes before shifting the mood to something lighter. "Oh, how honoured I must be to receive the Ice Prince's sympathy. It seems as if he is finally learning his place!"

"That's what you get for ditching me!" Rivalz commented.

"What were you up to yesterday anyway?" asked the normally energetic Shirley Fennette.

"I was captured by terrorists, shot at by the Royal Guard, directed the rebel forces, and was forced to fight my long-lost Japanese friend to the death. Just another Tuesday for me."

You could almost hear the crickets before Milly ruined the moment.

"Wow, it looks like this stick in the mud," she poked him, "has a sense of humour and sarcasm after all! Let's all give him a round of applause." In contrast to her voice and words, Milly's eyes glared at him, knowing that she would have to speak to him later.

Lelouch played along, giving himself a couple short claps. "If anyone lasted as long around you as I have, they would have pick up a few things."

She pouted at him, before leaning over to poor Rivalz and caressing his face teasingly, causing him to blush like crazy. "At least you could be a bit more grateful, like Rivalz over here."

"Madame Prez!"

 _At least_ , Lelouch thought, _I should be more grateful for the time I have here. I don't want this taken from me_.

The Student Council's light banter carried on for the rest of the day.

(Line Break)

" _Lelouch, please! I had nothing to do with it, I swear!"_

"…"

" _I know you may hate us, but aren't we blood? Aren't we still brothers?!"_

"…"

" _Please, Lelouch, no, NO!"_

" _You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."_

He sat up, heaving for breath and covered in sweat. He checked the alarm clock on his beside table. _5:36 A.M._ Another nightmare, one to add one to the ever-growing list of days that he woke up, scared and alone, ever since his mother's death. Today's was a new one, however. The battle at Shinjuku had only happened a mere two days ago, and what he had done was still fresh in his mind. _My brother…I killed my brother_. The reality had sunken in yesterday, and Lelouch had excused himself to go to the bathroom to vomit. While his anger and rage towards Britannia was present, as it always was, the thought of killing someone so once beloved to him and his family sickened him. As much as he would not like to admit it, Lelouch was not as tough as he thought he was.

He got out of bed and went to the washroom. While he would have preferred another hour of sleep, he knew that such a thing was impossible after a dream such as that. Besides, it wasn't _too_ early.

As the hot water wet his back and as steam filled the air, Lelouch's mind drifted away to slightly more positive things. The other day, Viletta Nu had come to visit him as he had instructed, he had skipped class to meet with her, while Nunally was at school and while Sayoko was out doing errands. He had given her a decent amount of money, or so it seemed, to make things believable.

" _Are you sure it's…proper for me to accept such compensation?"_

" _But of course. You saved my life, after all."_

" _It was my pleasure…Alan."_

" _Now how about you come again another day and we can have tea? If you have a cell phone I would love to share my contact information with you."_

"… _That would be quite nice."_

Slowly but surely, his plan of winning Viletta over was taking place. He didn't want to turn the woman away from him, in fact. Lelouch sensed that deep at heart, she was a good person, yet too indoctrinated by Britannian Social Darwinism and conquest to entertain the thought of helping foreigners. Fellow Britannians, yes, but certainly not the Japanese. Lelouch hoped to change that.

Even still, he could easily convince the terrorists he had commanded at Shinjuku to join his cause.

He had been laying quite low recently, not even going out to gamble, to the disappointment of Rivalz. Nontheless, he had been counting his finances and assets, and had made sure that everything was secure. Despite being a self-appointed genius, the raven-haired royal was still cautious. He had just started his fight against Britannia, he needed the money to further his endeavours. Good thing he had lots of financial practice by balancing the Student Council's budget.

But despite the messages that Milly's glares were giving him, the usually forward and energetic blonde had yet to meet with him, but he knew that she would eventually hunt him down. Lelouch sighed, his breath fogging up slightly in the steamy air. Milly was his childhood friend and the heiress of the Ashford Foundation, there was nothing he could hide from her. Just another thing to look forward to.

Despite how bleak his future looked so far, Lelouch had taken his first step. The next one would be war.

(Line Break)

 **Around the same time…**

" _Kallen, you need to run!"_

" _But Brother I can't leave you!"_

" _There's no time to waste, Kallen. You need to go now, okay? You need to protect Mother for me."_

" _But…but Brot-"_

" _Kallen, you must live! Just…know that I am always with you, and that I am always proud to be your brother."_

 _She took one last look at Naoto, his eyes still filled with determination despite his useless and bloody leg. Kallen choked back one last sob before she fled from the slowly burning warehouse, to where Ohgi and the others were waiting for her. Waiting for the news about their leader._

 _Naoto Kouzuki stared at the remains of his team's work, Britannian arms and weapons of destruction burning around him. The plan included all of them getting out alive, but they were betrayed by their mole in the government. Naoto sighed, and looked down at his mangled leg once again. He smiled, a bittersweet smile. "If Japan was free once again…It was a good run, after all."_

 _The warehouse exploded, and Kallen's screams of anguish echoed through the dark midnight air._

 _The fire kept burning._

 _And Kallen kept screaming._

When Kallen Kouzuki woke up, she was crying. Crying alone in a mansion with an absent father, a weak mother, a terror for a step-mother, and a brother who was no longer there to stop the tears. She lay there for a second, a rare moment of vulnerability, curled up among the white blankets, so small and lonely in an world that cared nothing for her.

Kallen soon blinked the tears away and sat up with a sigh. It was almost time to get ready for school, wasn't it? As much as she dreaded going back there again, Ohgi had advised her to lay low, and she had accepted. Yet as Kallen made her way through her daily routine, she thought one last, vulnerable thing. _Why can't anyone come and save me from all of this?_

(Line Break)

"She hasn't come in to school since the term started. It's slightly interesting, that's all," Lelouch reassured a worried Shirley. He offered her a trademark smile "Nothing else, I promise."

The orange-haired girl in front of him blushed heavily and looked away. "Well, if you say so Lulu…"

"Don't worry, Shirley. I'll see you at the meeting later, okay?"

"A-alright Lulu. Don't get in to trouble, all right? I'll see you later!"

Lelouch sighed as he watched her run off. She was so cheerful and innocent in a refreshing way, but sometimes too innocent. She was a good person, but one that Lelouch actively had to put some distance between. Deep down, the violet-eyed teen knew that his activities and his very mindset would bring people pain. He did not want her fall victim to the chaos that would befall Japan.

His musings were interrupted when he spotted a flash of red hair. _Ah, just the person I wanted to see. Soon, we'll see whether you will be beneficial to me or not_.

He trailed her from a distance, watching as she conversed with her friends. She probably didn't even consider them as friends, more like simply acquaintances. Lelouch watched as the other girls jumped away and ran to avoid a bee, and he decided that soon it would be the perfect time to intervene. As soon she _karate chopped_ the bee out of the air – yep, definitely her – he acted.

"Kallen Stadtfelt."

She turned to him, a shock and a fiery fury quickly masked under a more demure mask of surprise. She started at him, unsure of what to do.

They remained that way, until he stuck out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. Even though we have been the same class together in the past, I have never had the chance to introduce myself. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. I'm the vice-president of the Student Council here at Ashford."

A good portion of her tension disappeared, but he knew that she still held some suspicion. He could tell from the fire he saw buried deep within her blue eyes, a look that he had seen enough to recognize on sight. Lelouch still needed to play it safe.

"Since it has been a while since you've been at school, the President has sent me to extend some good wishes on behalf of the Student Council. She also asks that you come and attend one of our so called 'meetings', if you are available."

She stared at him blankly for a second. He decided to clarify, "You aren't in trouble, if that's what you're wondering. The President simply wants to see how you're doing."

Kallen looked at him again, the fire almost dying down in her eyes. "Well, if the President herself asks, how may I refuse?"

Lelouch gave her a tiny smile. "Unfortunately, I know first-hand that this it how it works. Anyway, I will contact you later on to bring you to the Clubhouse. Would that be alright?"

"It would, thank you."

He nodded at her, his persona of the Ice Prince of Ashford in full effect, before walking away. Behind him, Kallen Stadtfelt sighed, and sat down once again. Lelouch sighed inwardly and thought _That was a slightly tougher than I expected, but I lowered her resistance somewhat_.

A flash of orange hair disappeared from the window.

(Line Break)

The walk was quiet, for a while. The burning in Kallen's cheeks had slowly died down, remembering how Lelouch asking her to come with him turned in to a social spectacle. _This is why I hate Britannians_.

The vice-president turned to face her slightly as he continued walking. "I hope you don't mind surprises very much."

"Why is that?" she asked, confused.

His handsome features shifted in to an expression that resembled shame. "The President has some rather…odd tastes. However, please don't let that affect you. In the end, she is a good person."

"You sound as if you know her very well."

If there was a hint of a scandalous accusation there, Lelouch did not register it. "Let's just say that the President and myself are…childhood friends."

"Ah." With that, the rest of the walk to the Student Council clubhouse passed in silence.

Eventually, the duo reached their destination and it took Kallen a good portion of her will power to not let her jaw drop. The club "house" was more like a damn mansion! The whole resistance group could live here comfortable and still have space for ten more people! What does the council do to warrant owning such a large place?

"Most people are quite shocked when they see this for the first time," Lelouch admitted. "It's quite the sight."

They stepped in, and Kallen's jaw threatened to drop again. The place looked even bigger on the inside! It was a nice long hall framed with two gentle, curving staircases on the sides. They led to a balcony overlooking the main space, and that crystal chandelier was simply overkill!

"…Even more of a sight when you come in," Lelouch smiled slightly. Before Kallen could observe the space further, his expression turned serious. "Now Kallen, I know tha-"

"Found it!" came a voice from the balcony. A blue haired teen reached up, clutching something in his hand.

Several other students came from open doors on the balcony level, students that Kallen presumed were the rest of the Student Council. "Thank goodness," one of the said. "I can't believed I misplaced the lab data. Thank you, Rivalz."

"Lulu! Kallen!" Another cried from above, this time with orange hair.

The Vice President frowned in confusion. "Now what is all of this about?"

Another council member made her way down the stairs, a confident blonde teen with flashing blue eyes and a mischievous smile. "You don't know, Lulu? I thought that's why you brought Kallen here, after all." Without missing a beat, she turned to Kallen and smiled. "Nice to meet the elusive Kallen Stadtfelt! My name is Milly Ashford, the President of this wonderful Student Council."

"More like overlord," Lelouch whispered under his breath.

"My name is Shirley!" said the orange haired girl from before. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm N-Nina. Nice to meet you," the same girl who lost the USB from before introduced herself. It seemed as if she was a lot shyer than Kallen had guess earlier.

Lastly, the blue haired boy introduced himself. "I'm Rivalz, the secretary! Nice to meet ya!"

"A pleasure to meet you all," Kallen smiled at all of them, despite thinking the exact opposite. A bunch of spoiled Britannian teens drunk off of their parents' money.

"Shirley, could you please set this down on a table for me?"

Kallen turned around, and was greeted with the sight of an open door and a brown haired girl in a wheel chair. In a flash, Lelouch moved to stand beside the young girl.

"Nunnally, what are you doing out here? Are you okay?"

She giggled sweetly at him. "Of course, Big Brother! I wanted to help Milly out."

The blond teen whispered in Kallen's ear, "That's Nunnally, Lelouch's little sister."

His little sister, huh? That explained why he was so protective. It was weird, seeing him like this. Before, he had seemed so aloof and cold, like nothing could ever affect him. Now, he seemed as if he would move the entire world just for his sister. A pang hurt Kallen's heart. She just hoped that Nunnally would appreciate her brother just as much as Kallen could have.

"So now that every member is here, we can celebrate with some of this!" cried Rivalz, who had somehow managed to pull out a bottle of champagne out of thin air.

"Rivalz, you know we can't!" protested Shirley.

"Of course we can," he looked at her smugly. "We're Stude – Hey! Get off me! Lelouch, catch!"

Lelouch, who was too distracted by the absurd sight of Shirley attempting to forcibly take the champagne for Rivalz – and almost overpowering him in the process – almost failed to catch the tossed object. He fumbled with it, and with all the pressure built within the bottle, the cork ended up bursting and flying towards Kallen. She managed to hit it away just in time, but even her reflexes could not protect her from the stream of alcohol that followed.

Everybody stared. Kallen sighed.

(Line Break)

At least the warmth of the shower was relaxing, somewhat. But in the guest bathroom located within the Student Council clubhouse/mansion, Kallen could only steam with anger.

 _Seriously? I have to deal with a bunch of stuck up Britannian brats?! They're not as bad as my so called "friends", but a huge clubhouse and alcohol?! Get real!_ Kallen huffed. _That Lelouch guy, though…he was kind of an asshole, but at least his sister seemed nice. Blind and crippled, huh? I guess some Britannians do have it pretty bad._

 _But it wasn't him, was it? That Lelouch…he sounded similar to the masked man we saw in Shinjuku; the one who commanded us. It couldn't be him, of course. Lelouch looked like a black haired stick, but maybe he has something to do about it._

A gentle rap on the door interrupted her thoughts. "It's me, Lelouch. I've brought you a change of clothes."

"You can come in," Kallen responded. "The curtains are drawn." She heard the door creak as it opened and the rustle of clothes being placed upon the counter table. "Thank you. Did you run all the way to the boys dorms to bring these to me?"

"Ah, I did not. Me and my sister live here as a favour from the principle. It would be hard for her to live in the female dorms."

"I see…" Kallen trailed off.

"Now if that's everything, I'll be leaving now," he said stiffly.

"Wait!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Could you grab me that pouch on the counter? The pink one?"

He grabbed it, and moved his hand past the shower curtain where hers was waiting. As soon as he did, Kallen grabbed his wrist tightly, knocking the pouch out of his hand.

"You sure are a feisty one," he commented.

"Shut it," she almost growled at him. "Do you know anything about Shinjuku?"

"Shinjuku? I heard that there were gas leaks, and because of that, many Japanese people died," He lied smoothly, managing to leak some sympathy and sadness in there too.

"Bullshit. There was no way gas leaks could have killed that many people without there being a huge scandal and you know it. Tell me what you really know."

"That's all I know, I promise. However, I admit that it did seem suspicious. I was passing by at the time and I saw smoke, but it didn't look like gas to me."

"Why were you passing by?" she questioned him suspiciously.

Lelouch shrugged. "In my spare time, I like to gamble with nobles. It makes my pockets a bit heavier and theirs a bit lighter. And before you ask, its for Nunnally's medicine. I was stuck in a traffic jam at the same time. The Viceroy blocked traffic around the area."

Her hand relaxed. _It's not him. Fuck._ "I'm sorry that I came across so strong. It's just that…someone I knew was injured. You looked a bit smarter than most of the people I've come across here, so I thought you would have some idea of what really happened."

He saw straight through her lie but played along anyway. "I understand completely. I'll look more in to it when I have the free time."

"Thank you," she whispered and finally let go of his wrist. _It wasn't him at all_.

Lelouch pulled back his aching arm – _she has one hell of a grip!_ – finally, mostly relaxed. "Actually, now that I have the chance, I would like to ask you something."

"Oh, what would it be?"

She stood there, the light inside the shower illuminating her silhouette through the thin shower curtain, and Lelouch finally remembered that this was a pretty awkward situation. He took a second to admire her form, slim, lithe, and athletic in a way that made his blood flow and in a way that did not belong to a sickly girl at all. He let his eyes roam for a second longer – he was still a teenage boy, after all – before he continued. "Would you like to come for tea with myself and Nunnally? And before you ask, it's merely a friendly visit. Milly will be there, and Nunnally seems to like you."

Kallen was caught very off guard. Why would he be asking her to go anywhere? This was very unexpected. "Um, yes. I would like that," she said shyly, reverting back to her sickly persona.

"Great. Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I'll pick you up in the afternoon, then." He paused for a second and awkwardly coughed. "Um, you know I can see you, right?"

 _Shit!_ She drew the cover back as far as it could go while her cheeks burned in shame. _He better have not been looking!_

"I didn't see anything, I promise!" he said hurriedly. "I'm really sorry, I won't tell anyone. I'm going to leave now, yes."

She heard the door shut quickly and then footsteps. Kallen sighed; he was gone. What an awkward and embarrassing encounter... _wait, did he call us Japanese?_

Meanwhile, Lelouch was blushing, but his embarrassment was held up by a slight sense of a victory. _I'm getting there_.

(Line Break)

Lelouch stepped back in with the rest of the Student Council to see a terrible sight. Nunnally was crying. At once, he rushed over to her, ignoring the rest of the room's occupants as he did his best to find the source of her anguish. "Nunnally, what's wrong?"

She sniffled, and Lelouch's heart broke. "The news," she whispered in his ear, "said that Brother Clovis is…dead…and they said that Suzaku…Suzaku killed him!" She broke out in another round of tears.

Lelouch whirled around to face the television. He completely ignored the familiar image of Margrave Gottwald, probably spewing some Social Darwinism bullshit, which was a funny excuse for a Purist power-grab. Instead, he favoured a running headline at the bottom of the screen: "Honourary Britannian Suzaku Kururugi arrested for murder of the late Viceroy."

He paled. _He's still with Britannia?! And how did he end up in this mess?_ The gentle crying of his sister ran through his mind once more, and Lelouch's eyes hardened. _Something must be done_.

(Line Break)

Author's note:

Um, hello again! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates this summer, and it's all my fault. I've been out of town for a bit in July, then I got sick and couldn't really bring myself to write. Regardless, the chapter is here!

Follows through with episode 3 of the anime very well, with some original scenes included (along with some foreshadowing). A very character development heavy chapter, but it includes some key plot points that will be relevant in the future. Next chapter will have some action, as well as some Suzaku. You all already know what's going to happen, of course. As we can see, Lelouch is taking things very slowly and very differently from canon, due to his lack of Geass. Will this blow up in his face? We have yet to see.

Not much to be said about personal life, I'll just be trying to get out another chapter before the end of the summer. Unlike last year, where I took a break to focus on school, I will be doing my best to keep up with writing. However, expect chapters to show up at a slower pace.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks again for all the support. I really appreciate it, and it makes writing a lot easier. Look out for the next one!

-DYFM


End file.
